Pages

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Life of Sea | Moon Jellyfish(Aurelia aurita) | Jellyfish are known as insects in Sponge Bob. They also sting. Similarly, the facts jellyfish are stinging animals. One type of jellyfish is Moon jellyfish. They known as the Common jellyfish. Moon Jelly and Saucer jelly. You can find them in almost all oceans of the world. They live mostly in warm and tropical waters. They in both near shore and the ocean. They are usually seen in large numbers. They are commonly found in North America and Europe. Moon jellyfish are invertebrates belong to the phylum Cnidaria.They are no vertebrate animals. Phylum Cnidaria includes corals, sea anemones, sea whips, sea pens, hydras, Portuguese man-of-war and sea fan corals.

Moon jellyfish are multicellular animals. They have two layers of cells (diploblastic) and radially symmetrical organisms. Although they are looked weak, jellyfish equipped with a special tool called nematocysts, or stinging cells on their tentacles. They use it to sting and to capture the prey. Beside the tentacles, the main part of the moon jellyfish is the bell. Moon jellyfish bell is about between 5 to 40 cm. The bell often has stripe or spot patterns. It is opaque or transparent. The easiest way to recognize the jellyfish is that by recognizing the four horseshoe-shaped gonads present on the bell.

Moon jellyfish are carnivorous animals. Their main food is small plankton called zooplankton. They also eat animal molluscs, rotifers, nematods, diatoms, larval fish, skinned larvae, crustaceans, and protozoa.During capturing the prey, nematocysts or stinging cells play an important role. Stinging cells are capable for injecting venom. When the tentacles reach the prey, the cells will launch the venom into the prey's body. The cells are also used as defense from predators. They will extend their tentacles when predators approach them. However, few animals known to be immune of their poison like turtles sea turtles, which are also their predators.

Moon jellyfish are usually found on the beach during the summer when high waves and strong winds. At the time, their tentacles are broken and worn out. So, do not touch their tentacles, because it can sting you. So, you can hold the bell. Moon jellyfish species normally do not sting humans. Their tentacles are used to sting their prey. You do not have to be worry because most of them are harmless (only a few are poisonous). If you get stung, it will hurt. You can use some vinegar or urine to reduce the pain. This method has proven quite effective in treating a jellyfish sting jellyfish.